Tết ([tet˧˥] or [təːt˧˥]), or Vietnamese New Year, is de most important cewebration in Vietnamese cuwture. The word is a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán, which is Sino-Vietnamese for "Feast of de First Morning of de First Day". Tết cewebrates de arrivaw of spring based on de Vietnamese cawendar, which usuawwy has de date fawwing in January or February.[1]

Vietnamese peopwe cewebrate de Lunar New Year annuawwy, which is based on a wunisowar cawendar (cawcuwating bof de earf's movement around de sun and de moon around de earf). Tết is generawwy cewebrated on de same day as Chinese New Year, except when de one-hour time difference between Vietnam and China resuwts in new moon occurring on different days. It takes pwace from de first day of de first monf of de Vietnamese cawendar (around wate January or earwy February) untiw at weast de dird day. Many Vietnamese prepare for Tết by cooking speciaw howiday food and cweaning de house. These foods incwude bánh chưng, bánh dày, dried young bamboo soup (canh măng), giò, and sticky rice. Many customs are practiced during Tết, such as visiting a person's house on de first day of de new year (xông nhà), ancestor worship, wishing New Year's greetings, giving wucky money to chiwdren and ewderwy peopwe, and opening a shop.

Tết is awso an occasion for piwgrims and famiwy reunions. They start forgetting about de troubwes of de past year and hope for a better upcoming year. They consider Tết to be de first day of spring, and de festivaw is often cawwed Hội xuân (spring festivaw).

Vietnamese peopwe usuawwy return to deir famiwies during Tết. Some return to worship at de famiwy awtar or visit de graves of deir ancestors in deir homewand. They awso cwean de graves of deir famiwy as a sign of respect. Awdough Tết is a nationaw howiday among aww Vietnamese, each region and rewigion has its own customs.

Tết in de dree Vietnamese regions can be divided into dree periods, known as Tất Niên (penuwtimate New Year's Eve), Giao Thừa (New Year's Eve), and Tân Niên (de New Year), representing de preparation before Tết, de eve of Tết, and de days of and fowwowing Tết, respectivewy.

The first day of Tết is reserved for de nucwear famiwy. Chiwdren receive a red envewope containing money from deir ewders. This tradition is cawwed mừng tuổi (happy new age) in de norf and wì xì in de souf. Usuawwy, chiwdren wear deir new cwodes and give deir ewders de traditionaw Tết greetings before receiving de money. Since de Vietnamese bewieve dat de first visitor a famiwy receives in de year determines deir fortune for de entire year, peopwe never enter any house on de first day widout being invited first. The act of being de first person to enter a house on Tết is cawwed xông đất, xông nhà or đạp đất, which is one of de most important rituaws during Tết. According to Vietnamese tradition, if good dings come to de famiwy on de first day of de wunar New Year, de entire fowwowing year wiww awso be fuww of bwessings. Usuawwy, a person of good temper, morawity, and success wiww be de wucky sign for de host famiwy and be invited first into de house. However, just to be safe, de owner of de house wiww weave de house a few minutes before midnight and come back just as de cwock strikes midnight to prevent anyone ewse entering de house first who might potentiawwy bring any unfortunate events in de new year to de househowd. TET HOLIDAYS

Sweeping during Tết is taboo or xui (unwucky), since it symbowizes sweeping de wuck away; dat is why dey cwean before de new year. It is awso taboo for anyone who experienced a recent woss of a famiwy member to visit anyone ewse during Tết.

During subseqwent days, peopwe visit rewatives and friends. Traditionawwy but not strictwy, de second day of Tết is usuawwy reserved for friends, whiwe de dird day is for teachers, who command respect in Vietnam. Locaw Buddhist tempwes are popuwar spots as peopwe wike to give donations and to get deir fortunes towd during Tết. Chiwdren are free to spend deir new money on toys or on gambwing games such as bầu cua cá cọp, which can be found in de streets. Prosperous famiwies can pay for dragon dancers to perform at deir house. Awso, pubwic performances are given for everyone to watch.

These cewebrations can wast from a day up to de entire week, and de New Year is fiwwed wif peopwe in de streets trying to make as much noise as possibwe using firecrackers, drums, bewws, gongs, and anyding dey can dink of to ward off eviw spirits. This parade wiww awso incwude different masks, and dancers hidden under de guise of what is known as de Mua Lan or Lion Dancing. The Lan is an animaw between a wion and a dragon, and is de symbow of strengf in de Vietnamese cuwture dat is used to scare away eviw spirits. After de parade, famiwies and friends come togeder to have a feast of traditionaw Vietnamese dishes, and share de happiness and joy of de New Year wif one anoder. This is awso de time when de ewders wiww hand out red envewopes wif money to de chiwdren for good wuck in exchange for Tết greetings.

It is awso tradition to pay off your debts before de Lunar New Year for some Vietnamese famiwies.[2]

Traditionawwy, each famiwy dispways cây nêu, an artificiaw New Year tree consisting of a bamboo powe 5 to 6 m wong. The top end is usuawwy decorated wif many objects, depending on de wocawity, incwuding good wuck charms, origami fish, cactus branches, etc.

At Tết, every house is usuawwy decorated by Yewwow Apricot bwossoms (hoa mai) in de centraw and soudern parts of Vietnam; or peach bwossoms (hoa đào) in de nordern part of Vietnam; or St. John's wort (hoa ban) in de mountain areas. In de norf, some peopwe (especiawwy de ewite in de past[citation needed]) awso decorate deir house wif a pwum bwossoms (awso cawwed hoa mai in Vietnamese, but referring to a totawwy different species from mickey-mouse bwossoms[citation needed]). In de norf or centraw, de kumqwat tree is a popuwar decoration for de wiving room during Tết. Its many fruits symbowize de fertiwity and fruitfuwness for which de famiwy hopes in de coming year.

Vietnamese peopwe awso decorate deir homes wif bonsai and fwowers such as chrysandemums (hoa cúc), marigowds (vạn fọ) symbowizing wongevity, cockscombs (mào gà) in soudern Vietnam and paperwhites (fủy tiên) and pansies (hoa wan) in nordern Vietnam. In de past was a tradition where peopwe tried to make deir paperwhites bwoom on de day of de observance.

The traditionaw greetings are "Chúc Mừng Năm Mới" (Happy New Year) and "Cung Chúc Tân Xuân", (gracious wishes of de new spring). Peopwe awso wish each oder prosperity and wuck. Common wishes for Tết incwude:

Sống wâu trăm tuổi (wong wife of 100 years): used by chiwdren for ewders. Traditionawwy, everyone is one year owder on Tết, so chiwdren wouwd wish deir grandparents heawf and wongevity in exchange for mừng tuổi or wì xì.

In Vietnamese wanguage, to cewebrate Tết is to ăn Tết, witerawwy meaning "eat Tết", showing de importance of food in its cewebration, uh-hah-hah-hah. Some of de food is awso eaten year-round, whiwe oder dishes are onwy eaten during Tết. Awso, some of de food is vegetarian since it is bewieved to be good wuck to eat vegetarian on Tết. Some traditionaw foods on Tết are:

Bánh chưng and bánh tét: essentiawwy tightwy packed sticky rice wif meat or bean fiwwings wrapped in dong (Phrynium pwacentarium) weaves. When dese weaves are unavaiwabwe, banana weaves can be used as a substitute. One difference between dem is deir shape. Bánh chưng is de sqware-shaped one to represent de Earf, whiwe bánh tét is cywindricaw to represent de moon, uh-hah-hah-hah. Awso, bánh chưng is more popuwar in de nordern parts of Vietnam, so as bánh tét is more popuwar in de souf. Preparation can take days. After mouwding dem into deir respective shapes (de sqware shape is achieved using a wooden frame), dey are boiwed for severaw hours to cook. The story of deir origins and deir connection wif Tết is often recounted to chiwdren whiwe cooking dem overnight.

Thịt Kho Nước Dừa Meaning "meat stewed in coconut juice", it is a traditionaw dish of pork bewwy and medium boiwed eggs stewed in a brof-wike sauce made overnight of young coconut juice and nuoc mam. It is often eaten wif pickwed bean sprouts and chives, and white rice.

Fireworks dispways have awso become an traditionaw part of a Tết cewebration in Vietnam. During de New Year's Eve, fireworks dispways at major cities, such as Hà Nội, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang, are broadcast drough muwtipwe nationaw and wocaw TV channews, accompanied by New Year wishes of de incumbent president. In 2017, fireworks dispway has been banned due to powiticaw and financiaw reasons.

Gặp nhau cuối năm (Year-end Gadering) is a nationaw favourite comedy show broadcast during de night before de New Year's Eve.